The Aftermath Series
by historian
Summary: AU. Story #6: "Father and Son". Rito and Master Vile reflect on the events of "Vengeance", the previous story .
1. Keep the Old

Chapter 1: Keep the Old

Teaser: In the aftermath of the Countdown to Destruction, Karone remembers a lost friend...

Disclaimer: All of the characters belong to Saban.

Authors Note: This is the first part of my "Aftermath" series. This is also the first part of a trilogy-within-a-series: "Requiem for Ecliptor". It is set immediately after Countdown to Destruction,Part Two. The trilogy is my tribute to Ecliptor, who was my favoritecharacter from Power Rangers in Space. This story in particular is also dedicated to Ellen Brand, to thank her for giving us her wonderful Personality Conflicts universe (and a special bonus thanks for seeing the potential in Ecliptor's character and taking it in a different direction than the show did!).

Keep the Old...

by Historian

Make new friends, but keep the old.

One is silver and the other gold.

-proverb

He had been so many things to her.

The memories flowed back as Karone boarded the Dark Fortress one last time. All she had wanted to do was grab her few personal items from her quarters and get the hell away from this place forever. But the memories wouldn't listen.

He had been a father, the only one Astronema could remember. He had shielded her from the other villians when she was just beginning her training. He healed her wounds, physical and mental. He had been a shoulder to cry on during those few times when her icy control slipped and a scared young girl peeked out.

He had been a mentor, teaching her everything he knew. How to weave spells, though he himself had only limited ability in that area. How to turn into a blow to lessen the damage. And most of all, how to handle a weapon. She remembered how proud he was when she bested Goldar in a fencing contest...almost as proud as the first time she had beaten Ecliptor himself.

Most of all, he had been a friend. Whenever another plan against the Rangers blew up in her face, when the Psycho Rangers plotted against her, when Elgar was grinding away at her very last nerve, he was there, a soothing balm. He always backed her, always

believed in her no matter what. To find a person like that on the light side would have been incredible. To find it in a fellow villain was unheard of.

But he had lied to her.

Blinded by tears, she almost missed the holocube. It was in the very bottom of one of her drawers. He had given it to her long ago, with the request that she not play it until he was gone. With all that had happened in the past few hours, she had forgotten all about it.

With trembling hands she set the cube on her bunk and pushed the recessed button on the side. The cube hummed briefly, and then there he was, full-size and looking like he was still alive...except that this Ecliptor was a pre-cyborg one.

"Identify yourself." Ecliptors' voice was calm and cold, just like always.

"Karo-Astronema."

"Astronema. I'm glad you're still alive and well. I take it I'm dead?"

"Y-y-yes."

"A pity. I hope I died in battle."

She couldn't lie to him, not even now. "Actually, you died when the Red Ranger shattered Zordon's tube and released the energy inside."

A pause ensued as the cube's programming chose the most correct, pre-entered response. "Hmmm. That's one I never expected. Ah, well. I will rest well, knowing that you are carrying on the fight even without..."

"YOU BASTARD!!!!" Karone screamed at the top of her lungs. "Why didn't you tell me??!"

The pause was much longer this time. Then, "Damn. You remembered, didn't you?"

A nod was all Karone could manage.

Ecliptor sighed. "I'd hoped it wouldn't come to this. You want to know why I never told you you were Karone? Two reasons. The first was that you weren't really her. You were Astronema, through and through. Telling you would probably have been pointless."

"And the second reason?" she choked out.

"Because, if it wasn't futile, I was afraid you would leave me."

Karone stared at the hologram in pure shock. She'd expected him to say something about not wanting to lose one of Dark Specter's most valued servants, or maybe even something about not wanting to have wasted all the time and effort he had put into her training.

Anything but this. He had been her friend, but he had never exactly been the sentimental type.

"I was selfish, Astronema. No, it wasn't selfishness, at least not entirely. I loved you. You were the daughter I never had. You gave my life meaning. And I would do whatever it took to keep you near me, even if it meant lying to you. Like all parents, I was afraid to let you grow up completely."

Karone's eyes were tearing up again, but this time from happiness. He had loved her. Even with all her evil. And if a being like Ecliptor could love Astronema, what would being loved as Karone by Zhane be like?

"Ecliptor?"

"Yes?"

"I forgive you."

Ecliptor smiled. His face didn't-couldn't-change expression, but she could read his body language like a book, and she saw it. "Thank you, Karone. You...don't know how much that means to me."

"You're welcome."

"One final thing. I take it you've joined up with your brother now?"

"Yes."

"In that case, I have a favor to ask..."


	2. Enemy Mine

Disclaimer: All of the characters belong to Saban.

Author's Notes: This is the second part of my "Aftermath" series, and the second part of my "Requiem for Ecliptor" trilogy-within-a-series. It takes place during the trip to KO-35 in Countdown to Destruction, Part Two. Like all three, it is dedicated to Ecliptor. This particular story is also dedicated to Jeremy Ray Logsdon, the master of the magnificent Jenga's Library site.

Teaser: Ecliptor's gone, but he has one last challenge for Andros...

Enemy Mine

by Historian

Andros stared at the holocube as though it were a coiled cobra. Karone had brought it back from the Dark Fortress, given it to him, told him it was a message from Ecliptor, and gone off to spend some quality time with Zhane before they reached KO-35. He hadn't even had a chance to ask her why her eyes were so red, although since she was smiling he figured it couldn't be too bad.

His first impulse had been to throw the cube into the recycler. He didn't need any more of Ecliptor in his life. Not only had the villain helped slaughter his first teammates, he had kept Karone from him. Besides, the long feud was over now. Ecliptor was dust, literally.

And Karone was back. Why give himself more trouble?

Because with his arch-enemy within arms reach, Ecliptor had taken the time to check on Astronema. Because he had demonstrated, with his cries of horror and rage, in front of Andros himself, just how much he cared about her. The whole encounter had badly shaken Andros, at least after the adrenaline rush wore off. It was easy for a Ranger, who daily fought evil personified, to see the world in black and white. Ecliptor had shattered that, and it frankly scared Andros. In his line of work, doubting yourself could be deadly.

It was that, more than anything else, that made him set the cube onto his cabin's desk and activate it. He refused to be scared of anything Ecliptor could dish out.

"Greetings, Red Ranger," the hologram began. "I'm not much for speeches, and you're not much for patience, so I'll make this short. The only reason you'd be listening to this is because Astronema has regained her memory and rejoined you. Congratulations. You've

won. Yet in a sense, the battle has just begun. I protected her while she was growing up, and I now pass that duty on to you. Two words of advice: let her grow, and let her take chances. Don't make the same mistakes I did. Also, if you ever hurt her, I swear by all

that is evil that I'll find a way back to this world and make you pay dearly. Farewell, Andros." The hologram raised it's sword in a salute before it dissolved, and there was no trace of the mockery that was usually there.

For several minutes, Andros simply stared in stunned silence at the cube. Then he turned to the camera mounted on the wall. "DECA, what is Ecliptor listed as in our data files?"

"He's listed as henchman to Astronema.'"

"Add the words and her protector' to that, would you please?"

"Done."

"Thank you." Andros looked at the holocube for a moment longer, then dropped it into the recycler. _You're my enemy, now and forever_, Andros thought, certain that Ecliptor could hear him. _But just this once, I'll do you proud._

Andros smiled, and went to find his sister.


	3. The Price

_Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Saban. Kevin is my own creation._

_Author's Notes: This is the third chapter in my "Aftermath" series, and the third chapter in my "Requiem for Ecliptor" trilogy-within-a-series. This one, more than the other two, sets up the series to follow. It takes place several weeks after Countdown to Destruction, and assumes that the Countdown was different in several important respects. Like the other two, it is dedicated to the memory of Ecliptor. This particular story is also dedicated to Hellfire, one of the best PR writers I have ever read._

_Teaser: A final message from Ecliptor to Dark Spectre makes the Monarch of Evil realize that sometimes "victory" is simply too expensive..._

The Price

by Historian

Thirteen.

Thirteen, out of an organization that had once numbered in the thousands.

Dark Specter shifted in his makeshift throne, set up next to Master Vile's more permanent one. Thirteen United Alliance of Evil members left. That was all, after Zordon's essence had scoured the universe of evil. And even those remaining were not what they were.

The Morphing Grid was gone. The enigma that had been the source of energy for all of the most powerful beings, good and evil, had vanished with Zordon's death. And with it had gone Dark Specter's powers. He was now trapped forever in this form, looking like a human-sized Maligore. No more spells. No more energy blasts. No more shape-shifting. No more anything.

The others had been affected as well, to greater or lesser extents. Master Vile was in much the same position as Dark Specter, having also been cut off from the dark side of the Grid. The two had become the leaders of the last pitiful remnants who had fled to M-51 more out of seniority than actual power. Goldar, Scorpina, and Rito still had their warrior skills, but their weapons were no longer magical. Finster, on the other hand, had never used magic, and so was relatively unaffected. In fact, the little sculptor was much in demand these days, as his machine-manufactured putties were the only kind of foot soldier that could still be made. The renegade human Kevin also had never used magic, preferring to rely on his brains and his accuracy with his twin laser pistols, which he carried everywhere with him.

It was Kevin, in fact, whom Dark Specter had just finished speaking with. He had been trying to gloat over the death of Zordon, the only good point in this entire mess. Kevin had shot him an odd look, and then asked permission to tell him a story. Surprised, for Kevin was usually the silent type, Dark Specter had granted it. Kevin had spoken of a great Earth leader named Yamamoto, who had led an enormous (by Earth standards) naval armada against a much smaller group of humans. His opponents had inflicted a severe blow, but Yamamoto had still drastically outnumbered them. Instead of pressing the attack, however, he had given the order to retreat.

When Dark Specter asked why, Kevin replied that Yamamoto had decided "the price was too high." He had then left Dark Specter to his thoughts.

Right now, those thoughts centered on Ecliptor. The warrior had given Dark Specter a new holocube several days before the disastrous invasion of Earth, to replace the one he had given when he had first entered Dark Specter's service. Curious as to what would have caused his faithful servant to update his message, Dark Specter activated the holocube he held in one clawed hand.

"Greetings, Dark Specter." Ecliptor's tone immediately drew his attention. There was something...wrong in it. "If you're watching this, it means I am dead and beyond your ability to harm. Thus I am able at last to speak thoughts that I have had to hide."

"First, your implants did not work. When Astronema awoke, all of her loyalty to you had vanished. She cared only for herself, and used the Psycho Rangers to drain your power as much as possible. Had the Rangers not destroyed the Red, Yellow, and Black Psycho Rangers when they did, you would have been utterly annihilated. Second, my implants did not work either. They were no match for my love for Astronema, and succeeded only in destroying my oath of loyalty to you."

Ecliptors' voice became as cold as liquid nitrogen. "I served you well for millennia, and how did you repay me? By ripping away a third of my body and replacing it with unfeeling metal! By allowing Darkonda to use me as a pawn! And most of all, by forcing Astronema to continue to serve you! For everything else, I might have forgiven you. But not that. You hurt her, Dark Specter. You took something away from her, inside. Because of that, I aided her treachery against you, and will continue to do so long as I am able. This is my vengeance."

With a roar of rage, Dark Specter crushed the holocube in his hand and hurled it across the room. But the anger almost instantly turned to cold ashes, and he slumped back against his throne. His two most loyal servants had betrayed him, and he hadn't even been able to tell. Now they were gone, and his powers were gone, and he was left with twelve beings who obeyed him more out of habit than anything else.

The price had indeed been too high.


	4. Aftermath

Disclaimer: All characters recognizable from the show don't belong to me. Kevin and Shariss are my own characters. Notes: This is the fourth chapter of my "Aftermath" series, and the beginning of the series proper.

Teaser: Thirteen villains survived the Countdown...so what do they do now?

Aftermath

By: Historian

The conference room darkened perceptibly as Serpenterra crossed in front of one of M-51's twin suns, briefly eclipsing it. When Zedd and Rita had changed back to good, Goldar and Rito had seized control of the huge zord and used it to flee. Since it was, as always, low on energy, they left it in orbit around the planet rather than landing it. It was just as well, since the darkness now matched the mood of those inside.

Dark Specter slammed a fist down on the table, using his rocky hide as a gavel. "This meeting of the United Alliance of Evil is now in session," he growled, every word tasting like dust in his mouth. The other members of the Alliance-all twelve of them-doubtless felt the same way. What Dark Specter wanted to know was how they felt about the future, not the past.

He looked around the room. On his left were Goldar and Rito. It was impossible to know what Rito was thinking (though if he was even capable of thinking was a matter of great debate inside the Alliance) since, being a skeleton, he had the ultimate poker face. Goldar, on the other hand, looked bored. He had never been much for meetings. Next to them sat Finster, blinking owlishly around the room. He too looked less than thrilled to be here, doubtlessly wishing to be back in his lab working with Porto, with whom he had formed a bond and who sat next to him. Further down sat Kevin, the renegade human, who was watching the meeting closely, analyzing and thinking, as was his habit. Master Vile and his bodyguard Scorpina had taken seats at the opposite end of the table from Dark Specter. Vile's main face was watching Dark Specter intently, while his secondary faces kept eyes on each side of the table. For her part, Scorpina, though she had only one face, also managed to watch everybody at once.

Starting up the other side of the table, Rygog and Elgar sat together, though that was evidently Elgar's choice rather than Rygog's. The idiot chattered away at Rygog, who did his best not to slug him. Further up, Klank stood rather that sat at the table, since he was not designed to be able to sit. Orbus sat on table in front of him. They had the best poker faces next to Rito, and again Dark Specter was unable to determine their thoughts. Finally, Shariss sat on his right, watching with a cold reptilian gaze. She was a Bechet, a species who bore a distinct resemblance to Earth's velociraptors. Her upper lip was curled slightly, revealing glistening fangs...a dangerous sign.

All of those who habitually wore weapons had brought them with them. Nobody knew how this meeting would turn out, and they wanted to be prepared. As a compromise, however, all weapons were constantly kept in plain sight on the table.

After Dark Specter had finished his survey and everyone had quieted down, he began to speak again. "I realize that the circumstances of this meeting are extreme, but I must insist on proper order and decorum. Therefore, when you wish to speak, you will address me first, and..."

"This is insane." Master Vile's calm voice cut him off. "The Alliance doesn't exist anymore, you pompous fool. All it's other members are reverted or dust, along with the foot soldiers. You have nothing left to lead, which by the way is exactly what you are qualified to lead-nothing!"

Dark Specter refused to lose his cool. Apparently, now that the shock had worn off, his leadership was being questioned. "And who are you suggesting should replace me? You? You, who fought the Earth Rangers for a week and then ran away with his tail between his legs?"

"Yes, me! I'm the one who was conquering a galaxy while you were leading the Alliance down the path to destruction with your obsession with Zordon! You've had your chance, Dark Specter, and you blew it."

"Zordon was our greatest enemy! How was I to know his death would have such disastrous consequences!? Besides, I wanted to drain his power first! And furthermore..."

Now everyone was getting into it.

"I should be leader! I have control of the mighty Serpenterra!"

"The day that under-powered hunk of metal is worth anything, you gold-plated monkey, is the day I shove my sword up my..."

"I challenge you to a duel, Dark Specter!"

"With what, you idiot? We have no powers anymore! And if you think you can take me, you overgrown dinosaur, I'll show you what rock does to fangs!"

"I think I should be leader! After all, I have the most experi...awwk!" Elgar was abruptly cut off when Rygog lost it and started trying to strangle his erstwhile former shipmate.

"I believe that Orrrrbus and I should lead. After all, everyone knows machines are superior to all other life forms."

"Tell that to Mondo, you walking toaster oven. Oh wait, you can't, he's been reduced to spare parts!"

TEEEEROOOWWWW!!!

Everyone abruptly stopped arguing to look at the new, smoking hole in the stone ceiling, and then at Kevin, who still held one of his laser pistols in his right hand.

"Now that I've got your attention," he continued smoothly, "I'd like to say a few words...if it's all right with our leader?" He looked at Dark Specter.

Dark Specter nodded.

"Thank you. First off, I'd like to point out that if we keep this up, we're going to finish what Zordon started. Then all hope for evil will be truly lost. Therefore, I propose that we rule by committee. If a majority of us can, by some miracle, actually agree on something, then it's probably a good idea. Let's test this theory right now. All those in favor, raise your hand."

In the end, the vote was 10-3, with Dark Specter, Master Vile, and Scorpina (who loyally voted with her employer) against it.

Kevin knew the others voted for it mainly because they didn't want anyone else to become leader, but he was willing to accept that.

"Thank you. Now this next question is mainly for my curiosity. Why did we survive when no one else did?"

For a moment there was silence. Then Orbus spoke up. "He's got a point. King Mondo and Queen Machina were both much more powerful machines than us, and yet we survived when they didn't."

"That's not the only example," Finster said. Gesturing around the table, he continued, "All these various henchman survived, and yet our masters either reverted or perished. Clearly, power had nothing to do with it."

This time it was Klank who spoke up. "I may have the answer. I've just run a check on my internal records, and they say that everyone in this room has been evil since they were old enough to choose. Beings like Zedd and Rita didn't become evil until later in their lives. Perhaps that's it."

"But what about Ecliptor?", Master Vile asked. Dark Specter stiffened at the mention of his traitorous lieutenant, but he said nothing. "Or for that matter, what about the Tengas, Cogs, and Putties. They were created to be evil, more evil in their way than any sentient being. Why did they dissolve?"

"That's it!" Shariss hissed. "They were created to be evil. They didn't have a choice! Out of all the members of the alliance, only we chose to be evil from the beginning. Only we truly deserve to be called evil. And only we survived."

Kevin was smiling broadly now. "By God, I think she's got it. See what we can accomplish working together instead of apart?"

There was another loaded moment of silence. Then Dark Specter cleared his throat. "Your point is well taken, Kevin. But now I'm curious about something. Where do we go from here?"

This time the silence wasn't loaded, just confused. Dark Specter smiled tiredly. "To be fair, it is a big question. Let's all sleep on it. We'll meet again at the same time tomorrow. This meeting is adjourned."

---

Kevin relaxed on his bunk. The meeting had gone well, from his perspective. He had managed to keep the other villains from killing each other, and had set up the type of governance he desired. Now if he could just hold everyone together...

He had come a long ways from the days when he was just a Mafia foot soldier in the 1960s. But even then, he was different. He read everything he could get his hands on, and had graduated summa cum laude from the local university. He valued knowledge, thinking, and alliance-making in an organization based on power. He had defeated several rivals by making them destroy themselves, and had been marked as a rising star by the dons. His ultimate dream than had extended no further than running his own family. But fate had intervened, and broadened his horizons...

It was sheer chance that he was driving along the deserted desert road that the UFO crashed by. When he realized what it was, he immediately got out of his car and hiked to it. Sprawled halfway out of the door in the side had been a four-armed, pink-hued humanoid alien. Or rather, it had been four-armed. One limb had been ripped off, and yellow blood was pouring out. Making a split-second decision, Kevin had tied a makeshift torquent around the stump, stopping the blood loss. It was not a decision made out of kindness; he had realized just what this discovery could mean, and a live alien would be much more grateful than a dead one.

Gig, the alien, had indeed been grateful. He was a smuggler who had, this run, been carrying an extremely rare drug, fabac. Fabac had a wide variety of effects on a wide variety of beings, none of them legal and all of them highly profitable. Unfortunately for Gig, he had an argument with a Triforian customs vessel and had to jump to light-speed with a shot-up hyper-drive. It cut out just in time for him to crash-land on Earth.

Once he had regained consciousness, and had a session with the medical unit, Gig used a universal translator to establish communication with Kevin. In gratitude for saving his life, Gig offered Kevin any reward he wanted. Kevin was curious about what effect Fabac would have on humans, and demanded that the medical unit figure it out. Gig complied, and the results had astonished them both. It seemed that Fabac stopped the aging process in humans completely. The human could still be injured or killed, but would never age.

Taking the chance that Gig might be lying to him, Kevin injected himself with the drug. Impressed with this daring risk-taking, Gig offered to have Kevin become his partner, and he accepted. The two repaired his ship and took off. They tripped the light fantastic for several years all over the galaxy, though they never returned to Earth. Kevin had urged that they do so, since the drug was a success and there would be a huge market for an anti-aging drug. But Earth was well known as the residence of Zordon, and Gig had no intention of bringing that being's wrath upon himself.

Eventually, Kevin had left Gig and joined up with UAE. There he had found his niche under the now-dead Lord Kregg. He started out as a hired gun and worked his way up, operating much as he had in the Mafia. But the events of the Countdown had destroyed Kregg's entire operation. Kevin had fled, and eventually found his way to M-51.

With a start, Kevin pulled himself from his reverie and looked at the chrono. If he hurried, he could just make it to his scheduled meeting with Finster and Porto. He had promised to teach them poker...

---

Goldar, the mighty warrior, bane of the Power Rangers of Earth, was frozen with terror.

Scorpina was coming up the hall towards him. Desperately, he looked for possible distractions and saw none. The only other beings nearby were Putty guards, and it was a strain to have a coherent conversation with them, much less pretend to have a diverting one. With a sigh, Goldar resigned himself to his fate.

At least Scorpina wasn't scowling. That was something to be grateful for. Their break-up had been less than friendly. She had absolutely refused to serve under Lord Zedd, and had begged him to come away with her. But duty had always come first with Goldar, and he had sworn an oath to Zedd. So he had refused, though it had torn at his heart.

She came to a stop in front of him. "Hi," she said softly. She looked so alone and vulnerable that Goldar's first instinct was to embrace her. After he ruthlessly crushed that, he was left with surprise. Scorpina never looked vulnerable. She was strong and independent, two of the traits that had made him fall for her

"Hello," he responded. Then, just to be polite, "How are you dommmphh!" Scorpina cut him off by leaping at him and kissing him fiercely. It was fortunate that he had a large lung capacity.

Finally, Scorpina broke off the kiss, though it took several moments more before Goldar's brain kicked back in. "What was that for?"

"That was weeks of thinking and worrying about you." Scorpina's eyes started to tear up. "Everyone in Vile's organization except he and I were destroyed. Some of them were my friends, but what was worse was not knowing for certain about you. I thought you might have been... been..."

This time Goldar did hold her. Scorpina sniffed and cleared her throat. "Sorry. The point is, it got me thinking. About death, and not knowing the future, and love. And I decided that I want you back in my life, right now. Because I don't know what will happen tomorrow, and I don't want to make the mistake of waiting." Still snuggled against him, she looked up. "So, what do you think?"

Goldar smiled. "I think that my quarters aren't very far from here."

A mischievous gleam entered Scorpina's eyes. "Mine are closer..."

---

Rito paced back and forth restlessly in his quarters, thoughts for once swirling around in his head. Granted, they weren't being processed all that well, but still, having a mental quandary was itself a major achievement for him.

The simple fact was, Rito wasn't happy. As a matter of fact, as he thought about it, he hadn't ever been truly happy--except once. That was when he and Goldar had lost their memories and had been taken in by Bulk and Skull. They could be a little bossy, but overall they had actually treated their wards kindly. And Goldar had been so nice without his memory. Rito had found that he liked people being nice to him, and what's more, liked being nice himself.

Just why was he evil, anyway? He couldn't remember ever making a conscious decision, though he must have since he had been spared from Zordon's energy. It had just always been expected of him. He was son to one of the most prominent villains, and brother to another. What else could he be? When Zedd had restored his and Goldar's memories, he had just fallen back into old habits.

But now, alone in his room, the villain regarded by both villains and rangers as the dumbest of them all began to make plans.


	5. Vengeance

_Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Saban. Kevin and Shariss belong to me. All real-world places belong to themselves._

_Author's Notes: Fair warning. This is a dark and sometimes bloody story. It's the fifth story in the Aftermath series, following Aftermath itself. As usual, all feedback is appreciated._

_Also, this is probably the only story I'll ever write featuring even one of the Duo of Dumbness (you'll see what I mean). I considered rewriting this, but ultimately decided to leave him in. They don't get many stories on this site, and I like going where few have gone before._

"_Selonite" is from the Star Trek Novel "Sarek"._

_Teaser: The Rangers of Earth have humiliated the villains of the UAE for six years. Now it's the villains' turn to win..._

Vengeance

by Historian

Dark Specter looked around at those assembled. "Who would like to go first?"

Master Vile rose. "I would, Mr. President."

"All right."

Vile cleared his throats-all three of them-and looked around the meeting room. "I began my analysis by noting that we are in a position of weakness like never before. We have no magic. We can't teleport. We can make monsters, using Finster's machine, but we can't make them grow."

Rygog growled impatiently. "We know all that. Get to the point!"

Dark Specter banged his fist on the table. "Order! You're out of line, Rygog. Please continue, Master Vile."

Kevin had to pretend a coughing fit in order to cover his smirk. It had just struck him how surreal the image of thirteen fierce villains using Robert's Rules of Order was. He recovered quickly, however. After all, it had been his idea.

Vile continued. "I simply wished to make it obvious how much our position has changed. Clearly, the old ways will not suffice. New tactics and new ideas are needed. Therefore, I move that we attack Earth."

This time even Dark Specter's fist banging couldn't restore order. Everyone tried to talk at once. Finally, however, Shariss's calm, flat voice rose above the turmoil. "You have confused me, Vile. You say that we need new tactics, and in the same breath propose one that has been tried to the point of insanity."

Master Vile smiled tightly, in triplicate. "You didn't let me finish. There are several differences between my plan and those that have gone before. First, though, let me illustrate why we should attack Earth. One, it is incredibly wealthy in terms of natural resources...resources we're going to need to rebuild our empires. Two, it has a large population...slaves that will also be needed. And three, it is no longer protected by Rangers."

Again murmurs ran around the room. "We may have lost our powers, but so have all the known Rangers. The destruction of the Morphing Grid cuts both ways. There will be no one to stop us this time."

"An intriguing proposal, Master Vile," Dark Specter commented. "But the people of Earth should not be underestimated. According to the holomedia reports, the citizens of Angel Grove were willing to sacrifice themselves to protect the Rangers. The humans will fight back."

"Not only that, but new heroes will inevitably rise up," Goldar growled. "Every time Zedd and Rita thought we had beaten the Rangers, they gained new powers. Besides, that is the nature of things. Wherever evil rises, so does good."

"Both of you have good points. However, I have already taken them into account. First, we have Serpenterra. I realize that it's low on power, but that can be easily solved by transferring my fortress's power reserves to it. Once it is fully powered, it will be unstoppable...at least to anything the humans can throw against it. And as for whatever new heroes may oppose us, I plan to turn our previous strategy on its' head. Instead of trying to destroy the heroes so we can take over the world, we should take over the world and then destroy the heroes. With the resources of all of Earth at our backs, we will succeed.

"There is another reason to attack Earth first." All six of Master Vile's eyes dilated in fury. "Revenge. Revenge on all the various former Rangers who humiliated us. Everyone in this room, with the exception of Kevin and Shariss, have reasons to hate them."

Kevin rose from his seat. This time he was wearing his battle armor. He had realized early on that, compared to other species, humans were a fragile lot. Thus, he had used his earnings to commission a suit of armor. It covered his body from head to foot and was dyed a deep midnight blue. Micro-motors in the joints doubled his strength. The helmet was in the shape of a howling wolf, with the faceplate inside the wolf's open mouth. "I must disagree with you there, Vile. Revenge is bad for business and a waste of time. You're letting your emotions run away with you."

"On the contrary, Kevin, I believe I'm planning ahead. If some power does rise to combat us, the former Rangers would be the most likely choices for avatars. If we kill them off, we will end up facing inexperienced enemies, and inexperienced enemies are easy-to-kill enemies. The fact that it will be eminently satisfying as well is just a bonus."

"A good point, Vile." Kevin sat back and frowned thoughtfully.

Dark Spectre looked around the room. Most of the other villains seemed convinced, and he knew from conversations prior to the meeting that no one had any better ideas. He, for one, had no intention of going quietly into that good night. "Is there any further discussion?"

Scorpina stood. "Mr. President, I move that we vote on Master Vile's proposal."

"I second," Orbus said.

"All those in favor, raise your right hand." One by one, all the hands went up, including Kevin's. Orbus had no hands to raise, so Klank raised him up in his left hand.

Dark Specter smiled, a frightening sight. "It is unanimous, then. Our future begins...on Earth."

(SCENE CHANGE)

_C'mon, c'mon, where are they? _Rito thought to himself as he pulled the lid off yet another metal crate and rummaged through it. He was in one of the fortress's cavernous storage rooms. There were several such rooms in the lower levels, each one crammed with crated trophies, mementos, loot, and odds and ends that Master Vile had accumulated during his 600,000 year life-span. Supposedly, each crate was labeled and it's contents entered into the central database. However, since it had been Tengas doing the organizing, Rito was finding that he had to take the system with a grain of salt.

At least no one would be suspicious about him being here. Now that Serpenterra had been fully recharged, the zord had been landed and was in the process of being filled with the villains' various personal items. There were even several Putties in another part of this very room, looking for some tidbit Vile wanted. He couldn't take everything, of course, so he was taking only what he thought would be useful. Rito was fairly certain, however, that what he was looking for did not fall under the category of "useful". At least, not to Vile...

There. At the very bottom of the crate, a small case, made out of what looked like leather, but was in fact ten times more durable. Gingerly, he reached down and picked it up. He had not seen it since he was just a child, but he remembered.

Bracing himself, he opened the box.

(SCENE CHANGE)

It took two weeks for Serpenterra to cross the vast distance from M-51 to Earth. The villains spent the time in various ways. The fighters honed their skills, trying to get used to not being able to use energy blasts. Master Vile and Dark Spectre put together a detailed, multi-phase plan for conquering the Earth. They were aided by Kevin, Goldar, Klank, Orbus and Scorpina, since they had the only prolonged first-hand knowledge of the planet, even though in Kevin's case the information was thirty years out of date. The scientists labored in their converted laboratory, trying to replace with science what the lack of magic had taken away. By the time they reached Earth, they had not only come up with a cloaking device for Serpenterra (by modifying one of the scanners to project what appeared to be ordinary space), but a way to teleport as well.

"We've made up belts for each of you," Finster announced in the conference room, holding up a belt made of silvery-gray metal. "They work by accessing Serpenterra's computer, downloading coordinates from the scanners, and then beaming you to those coordinates. The coordinates can be a place, or you can set the scanners to follow a certain being and teleport to that being's location at any time."

"Thank you, Finster." Dark Spectre said. "Thank you also for the cloaking device. Thanks to it, the humans are unaware of our presence. Rest assured, however, that will not be the case for long. Master Vile and myself will take this Zord and announce ourselves in a very, shall we say, public way. As for the rest of you, the scientists have done their work, now it's time to do yours.

"Scans have located eleven of the Rangers. William Cranston is on Aquitar according to last report, and the former Space Rangers are on KO-35, trying to hide from the media. Payment is delayed only for them, however. The rest of our accounts will be settled now.

"Here are your assignments. Rygog and Elgar, you two are used to working together, so you will be sent after the largest concentration of Rangers. Jason Scott, Trini Kwan, and Zack Taylor are in Geneva, Switzerland. Scorpina, I understand you have a score to settle with Adam Park. He and his girlfriend, Tanya Sloane, are in the city of Los Angeles. Rito, you've fought against Aisha Campbell before, so I think you can handle her now. She's in the country of Kenya. Kevin and Shariss, you both pull double duty. Kevin, you take Rocky DeSantos and Justin Stewart. They're in the cities of Stone Canyon and Angel Grove, respectively. Shariss, you get Kimberly Hart and Katherine Hilliard, in Miami and London. And Goldar," here Dark Spectre paused and smiled, "I think we all know who you're going after."

Goldar nodded once. His face might as well have been carved from stone.

"Any questions? Good. Then go. And may the darkness be with you."

(SCENE CHANGE)

Shariss materialized just outside Kimberly's door. She had never been one for subtlety, so she simply charged the door, easily knocking it off its' hinges. The room beyond was dark, but her reptilian eyes could still see well. Two girls in two beds were sitting up, staring with wide eyes. The one on the left had blond hair and blue eyes. Shariss ignored her completely and concentrated on the one who matched Kimberly's description. She was just opening her mouth to scream when Shariss opened her own mouth.

Quickly, efficiently, calmly, she bit Kimberly's head off.

Shariss swallowed and, ignoring the other's girl's screams, teleported.

(SCENE CHANGE)

Rocky sighed with pleasure as he wiped the sweat off of his face. It had been a productive day. He had taught three men and one women's classes in his dojo, and his students were doing well. It hadn't been easy managing his own business, but he hadn't had much of a choice. He knew he wasn't cut out for college. That's why he moved back home to Stone Canyon and opened shop. The insurance rates were much cheaper than in Angel Grove, and martial arts were just as much the local craze. Now, after almost a year of hard work, Rocky's Dojo and Gymnasium was prospering.

Just as he was about to go upstairs to his apartment, someone knocked on his door.

"Sorry, we're closed," he yelled in the general direction of the doors. He wasn't prepared for the left door to suddenly be propelled inward, ripped off it's hinges by a powerful kick, or for the armor-clad figure that entered through the opening. "Who the hell are you?"

"The name's Kevin. I'm here to kill you." The formalities over with, Kevin pulled both laser pistols out of their holsters and fired.

Combat instincts Rocky hadn't need in over a year kicked in, and he somersaulted forward and down, the twin shots passing overhead and slamming into the wall behind him, blowing out large chunks. Kevin immediately shifted his aim, but Rocky kept moving. Cartwheeling, flipping, and ducking, he gave no pattern for Kevin to lock on to. However, the flurry of shots prevented Rocky from closing with his opponent.

Frustrated, Kevin noticed that the wall behind Rocky now bore a distinct resemblance to swiss cheese. Smiling under his helmet, he shifted his fire to the now-exposed studs. A handful of more shots and-

With a loud rumble, the wall and half the ceiling caved in, burying Rocky.

Kevin waited for the dust to settle, then strode forward. He zeroed in on the sound of coughing, and found Rocky half-pinned beneath a large metal beam. His legs were undoubtedly broken, and perhaps his previously-damaged back as well. Still, when Rocky looked up at him, Kevin could see no fear, only anger.

Rocky coughed again. "You know," he rasped, "if you kill me now, it's not a fight, it's murder."

Kevin kneeled in front of Rocky and gently pressed his right pistol against Rocky's head, directly between his eyes. "'Murder most foul, as in the best it is'," he quoted softly. "Don't worry, warrior. I'll make this quick."

He pulled the trigger.

(SCENE CHANGE)

Tommy was practicing katas in the Juice Bar. The building had technically closed an hour ago, but Stone trusted Tommy, and merely reminded him to lock the door shut behind him. Tommy was grateful, for he had a lot of adrenaline to burn off. That very day he had won his first major race while driving for his uncle and he was still excited. Next to morphing, racing was the greatest thrill he had ever had, and he knew he could become a major force in the racing world.

He was just finishing a particularly complicated set of moves when the darkened room lit up with a golden flash.

Even before he turned around, he knew.

He looked much as he had since the last time Tommy had seen him almost two years ago, except for the silvery belt around his waist. Six and half feet of armor-plated muscle. Wings spread to their full width. Most of all, the glowing red eyes that burned with hatred and haunted his dreams.

"It's been a long time, Goldar."

"If I have my way, it will be much longer before we meet again, Tommy." Goldar unlatched the belt and let it fall to the floor. "This is our final battle. One of us will not leave here alive. Defend yourself, Thomas Oliver!" With that, Goldar lunged forward, sword outstretched.

Tommy quickly stepped to the side, grabbing Goldar's sword arm and pulling down, using his hip as a pivot. This caused the already overbalanced monster to do a half-flip and fall towards the floor on his back. However, he got his other arm down and used it to swing around, sweeping Tommy's legs out from under him. It was Tommy's turn to fall to the floor. He quickly rolled backward to his feet, as Goldar scrambled up.

Tommy had accomplished his goal, however. Goldar was no longer between him and the door. He had no intention of trying to fight Goldar without any powers. He'd done that before, and knew better. So he turned and ran.

Goldar hurled his sword like a boomerang, sending it scything toward Tommy's legs. The sword connected with Tommy's left hamstring, severing it. The former Ranger went down hard, and before he could do anything beside roll over onto his back, Goldar was on him, kneeling on his chest. Tommy grunted in pain as several ribs cracked, refusing to give his enemy any enjoyment.

Goldar put his face right in front of Tommy's. "That was pathetic, boy. You were more of a challenge when you were a Ranger. Like this, you're not even a worthy opponent. In fact, I think the only thing you deserve is a slow dea-"CRACK! Tommy headbutted Goldar. The monster sat up, growling in pain as black blood seeped out of his broken snout. Enraged, he raised his recovered sword and brought it down through Tommy's heart.

Tommy jerked once, then was still.

Goldar slowly stood up, blood dripping down onto the floor, his face a study in conflicting emotions. For a few seconds he stared at the body. Then he threw his head back and let loose a Titan victory howl.

All over the block, people's blood froze.

All over the neighborhood, babies woke up screaming.

And just a few yards away, one figure heard the noise and did something that startled even himself.

He ran toward it.

(SCENE CHANGE)

Aisha blinked and sat up on her cot. Something had woken her up. She looked around the room of the small grass hut, trying to see if anything looked out of place. She yawned and stretched, then wrinkled her nose. What was that stench?

She remembered that particular smell just as one of the shadows moved, and a bony hand clamped over her face. She immediately started struggling, but her strength was no match for Rito's. This realization, coupled with the sudden gleam of moonlight off of his sword, made her stop.

"If I let you go," Rito whispered, "will you keep quiet?"

Aisha nodded. That was the first rule drilled into every ranger: never endanger civilians. She didn't want Rito unleashing his wrath upon the entire village.

Rito released her, and she immediately spun to face him, dropping into a combat stance. She had a pretty good idea of what he was here for, and she had no intention of making it easy for him.

To her shock, he dropped his sword and instead picked up a box that had been lying by his feet. "Aisha, you've got to listen to me. I'm here to help you!"

Aisha didn't burst out laughing, but it was a near thing. "If you expect me to believe that, you're even dumber that I thought!"

"But it's the truth! Oh, forget it. Maybe this will convince you." He opened the box.

Immediately, a rainbow of light dazzled Aisha's eyes. As they adjusted, however, she could see five glowing jewels lying in slots in the box. A diamond, a pearl, a ruby, an emerald, and a sapphire. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the ruby . It seemed to be calling her. Hypnotically, she reached out and touched it. There was a blinding flash of red light. Rito's "eyes" didn't need to adjust, however, and he saw what happened. The ruby sank into her palm as the light washed over her. When it faded, Aisha was still standing there-only with glowing red eyes and red streaks in her black hair.

"Wow," Rito whispered to himself. "It worked."

Aisha shook her head. "What-what just happened? I feel so energized!"

"You've just become a Gem Warrior."

"A what!"

"There's no time. Your friends are in trouble! The others are going to kill them unless we hurry!"

"What to you mean, others? And what makes you think I trust you?"

"I just gave you a new set of powers! What more do you want? Doesn't that count as a good deed?"

Aisha stared at him for a second. Then she made her decision. "All right, but if you're lying to me, I will personally kick your butt."

"Deal." Rito grabbed her arm and, with his other hand, set them teleporting away to the second set of coordinates he had downloaded.

(SCENE CHANGE)

Kevin materialized in front of a split-level house not too different from the ones he remembered. He looked around. This suburb looked pretty much the same, too, except for the much sleeker cars parked in front of the houses. He'd have to test-drive one sometime.

Returning his attention to the house, he realized with surprise that his arrival had been seen. A young boy hung half-way out of a second-story window, staring at him with wide eyes. "Are you with the Power Rangers?" Justin called out.

Kevin raised his laser pistol and fired a single shot. Then he turned his back on the house to take one last look around, ignoring the corpse and the smoking hole in its' head. Sometimes you have to work for it, and sometimes it walks right up to you.

He teleported out.

(SCENE CHANGE)

Adam and Tanya had been working hard lately, as stuntman and costume designer respectively, and he had decided that they needed a break. So he had pulled out all the stops for a romantic dinner at home. Candles. Champagne. Ridiculously expensive food. Tanya had been thrilled, and the evening had been a complete success. They were just leaning toward each other over the table for a kiss when the romantic mood was rather spoiled by the large, boomerang-shaped sword that crashed down between them onto the table, shattering it.

Scorpina grinned at the stunned couple. "Hi." Then she leaped up into a double kick, sending them flying in opposite directions.

Scorpina turned towards Adam, who was lying stunned against the sofa. "News flash, lover boy. You chose the wrong woman." She raised her sword.

She had, however, made the mistake of turning her back on Tanya. The former Yellow Ranger slammed into Scorpina's back with a flying kick, sending her staggering. She quickly recovered, however, and grabbed Tanya around the neck, hoisting her up into the air. Tanya's face started to pale as she gasped for breath, and Scorpina tightened her grip, fully intending to break the girl's neck.

It was at this point that Adam kicked her in the back of her knees, sending her and Tanya to the floor. Scorpina did a backwards somersault, slamming her armored feet into Adam's temple. Dazed, he lay motionless as Scorpina once again raised her sword. He did nothing to stop it.

That did not prevent it from being stopped.

As the sword came down, Tanya threw herself in front of it. The sword tore through her, killing her instantly. Her body hit the floor just as a double-flash of orange and red lit up the room.

NOOO!" Aisha screamed. Without thinking, she raised her right hand, and flames shot from it. Scorpina screamed in pain as the skin of her bare back was scorched and blackened. Without turning around to see who had attacked her, she desperately scrabbled at her belt and teleported away.

Aisha ran over to Tanya's body and stared at her replacement in shock. Her expression was mirrored by Adam, who sat up and stared at his girlfriend's body in silence, tears streaming down his cheeks. Rito shifted uncomfortably. He had seen death, hell, had been the cause of death many times in his life, and so he was in much better shape mentally. He was still new at this being "good" stuff, and while he sympathized with the humans, they really didn't have time for this.

Finally, he cleared his throat. "Uh, I hate to intrude, but..."

"Shut up, Rito," Adam said dully, not even questioning the villain's presence.

"If you want me to shut up, I will. If, on the other hand, you have any interest in saving the rest of your friends, not to mention the rest of the world, you'll listen to me. We're on a tight schedule here, so will you just grab the sapphire already!"

"I don't want a sapphire," Adam responded in the same dead voice.

"That doesn't matter. It wants you." As Rito spoke, he opened the box. The sapphire floated over to Adam and hovered in front of him. He stared at it for a moment, then tentatively reached out a hand. In a flash, he was sporting glowing blue eyes and blue hair streaks.

Aisha looked over at Rito. "The jewels chose us?"

"I'll explain later. Next stop, Switzerland."

(SCENE CHANGE)

Rygog lay crouched in the bushes, waiting patiently for his targets to approach. Sensors had shown them walking along a remote path on their way back to their dorm from a late-night party, and he had chosen this spot to ambush them. On the other side of the path, Elgar was also hidden, though the clumsier monster kept shifting and making noise. Rygog was just preparing to whisper a reprimand when he saw the three silhouettes, walking side by side down the path. He braced himself and then, at exactly the right moment, leaped out, swinging his sword.

Zack never even had a chance to scream. He was instantly decapitated.

On the other side, Elgar had tripped over his own feet, causing his swing to miss. Trini kicked the sword from his hand and proceeded to start whaling on him.

Rygog, meanwhile, had his hands full with Jason. He had never battled the former Red Ranger, but had seen him in action on Muranthias. He therefore had some idea of what his opponent was capable of, and was finding out that being on the receiving end was not fun. The odds were still in his favor, however. Jason's best blows bounced off Rygog's thick armor. All he had to do was wait for Jason to zig when he should have zagged, and then he'd have him.

He was still thinking this when several things happened at once. Jason sweep-kicked his legs out from under him. Trini knocked out Elgar with a spin-kick to the head and turned to help Jason. Finally, the black night lit up with three teleportation flashes.

From his position on the ground, Rygog assessed the situation. His ally was knocked out, he now had two opponents instead of one, and Rito had for some reason just arrived with two more humans, both whom were advancing on him with murder in their eyes. Rygog instantly decided to apply two of the maxims of villainy: if you're losing, cheat, and if then you're still losing, run like hell.

In one smooth motion he leaped up and threw a handful of dirt in Jason's eyes, blinding him. He then shoved his sword through Jason's chest and shoved Jason himself into Trini, knocking them both down. Finally he ran over to Elgar and hit the "return" button on his belt, doing the same to his.

They left behind them one dead man and one dying one. Trini held Jason in her arms, crying softly as his life slipped away and his eyes closed. He tried to say something to her, but she couldn't make it out. The others watched silently, Rito not having known either boy and Adam and Aisha still too shell-shocked to react.

Trini visibly pulled herself together, shoving her grief down inside until it could be properly expressed later. She stood up and took in the sight of Rito. She had never known him, but had read about him in the letters Kimberly had written her. "I assume you have a reason for being with him?" she asked Aisha and Adam calmly.

Before they could answer, Rito made his sales pitch once again. Trini listened quietly, and, after reassurances from the other two, accepted the emerald. After the transformation, the group teleported again.

(SCENE CHANGE)

Katherine staggered to her flat, having drunk slightly too much champagne at the class party. It was understandable, though. The class had just performed their final night of The Nutcracker, and it had been a smashing success. They had been given a standing ovation.

Fumbling with her keys a little, Kat unlocked her door and stepped inside, flicking on her light as she did so. A six-foot tall raptor stared back at her from the middle of the living room. "Took you long enough," was Shariss's only comment.

Kat only had time to gasp before Rito and company appeared between her and Shariss. For once they had arrived on time and in the right position.

Shariss took in the humans' glowing eyes and hair streaks, then shifted her gaze to Rito. "Traitor," she hissed.

"Look, lady, you so do not want to mess with me." Aisha held up her hands threateningly. "I have had a shitty night. Give me an excuse."

Shariss glared at Rito again. "You will pay, Rito Revolto," she promised. Then she disappeared in a flash of green light.

"Uh, guys?" Kat whispered from behind them. "What's going on?"

Rito sighed, and began to explain again.

(SCENE CHANGE)

The group materialized inside the Youth Center. The humans didn't notice Rito's start of surprise. All their attention was drawn to the body on the floor, and the lanky, dark-haired boy standing over it.

"TOMMY!" Kat cried, running over to what was left of her boyfriend. She didn't cry, just dropped to knees and cradled his head in her lap.

"What happened?" Trini asked the boy.

Eugene Skullovitch had been staring at Kat, whose eyes were now perfectly clear and pupilless. He started at Trini's question. "Goldar happened. I was jogging past the Youth Center when I heard this really creepy roar. I ran inside just in time to see him teleport out. There, there wasn't anything I could do."

"I know," Trini soothed. "But you ran toward the sound instead of away from it?"

Skull blushed. "Old junior policeman reflex."

Rito again had to play the role of interrupter. "Now that we've found the last Gem Warrior, we have to see what we can do about rescuing the rest of your friends."

"But Tommy's dead," Adam protested.

"I wasn't looking for Tommy. I was looking for Skull."

"WHAT?" everyone said at once, except for Kat, who was still staring at Tommy's corpse.

Without answering, Rito opened the box one last time. The pearl floated out and over to Skull. Like the others, he seemed entranced by it, and reached out to it. When the flash faded, he was sporting glowing white eyes and white hair streaks.

"C'mon," he said with new confidence. "There's people to save, right?"

Kat stood up. "You guys go ahead without me."

Everyone stared at her. "What are you going to be doing?" Aisha asked.

"I'm going to walk around Angel Grove until Goldar shows his cowardly face again. Then I'm going to kill him."

The cold hatred in her voice was the antithesis of everything Katherine Hilliard normally was, and a very worried Skull tried to exchange glances with Adam. What he saw there scared him even more, however: hot rage.

"Don't you think I want to hunt down Scorpina and tear her into itty-bitty pieces!" Adam exploded at Kat. "I know how you feel! But killing them won't bring them back! And right now we have a job to do! Being a Ranger, or whatever the hell we are now, means putting others above ourselves!"

For a long moment, Kat matched Adam's glare. Then her face softened, and she looked down. "I know," she said softly.

(SCENE CHANGE)

They went to Rocky's first, then Kimberly's, and finally Justin's, whose Dad apparently wasn't home. In each place the found the corpse, and in each place Rito watched their anger and sorrow grow. It bothered him a little that he wasn't really feeling those emotions, but then all of these people had been his enemies not too long ago. "Good" was still largely an academic exercise for him.

Skull had wandered downstairs when they discovered Justin's body, unable to bear the sight of a little boy so ruthlessly murdered. More to distract himself than anything else, he flipped the TV on.

His yells brought everyone downstairs on the double. They ran in to see a news anchor with tears running down her face on the TV.

When they heard what she had to say, they began crying as well.

(SCENE CHANGE)

While all the killing, rescuing, and persuading had been going on, Dark Specter and Vile had been busy with Serpenterra. With Dark Specter in the command chair and Vile at the gunnery station, they had descended into Earth's atmosphere, destroying several satellites in the process. They then dropped the cloak, the better to terrorize with, and shifted to Battle Mode. Their inspection of Earth had quickly shown them which nation was the most powerful, and Dark Specter had chosen that nation to make his point. The fact that nation's government was in a special late-night session was icing on the cake.

Serpenterra touched down in Washington, D.C., crushing the White House beneath it's gigantic feet. The President and his staff were killed instantly.

That was only the beginning, however. Vile slammed his fist down on the largest button on his board. This was the planet-killer, a weapon capable of destroying a world. However, since the villains wanted Earth largely intact, and since the planet-killer would have drained almost all of the zord's power, Porto had scaled it back. Now it would destroy only, say, a city.

A red circle appeared around Serpenterra and quickly spread out, destroying Washington and it's suburbs. The Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and all the other landmarks, as well as the other buildings were wiped off the face of the Earth.

In less time than it takes to tell, one million people died.

Still, this wasn't enough for Dark Specter. He touched a button on his chair, and every TV and radio station on the planet was overridden by Serpenterra's communication signal. He sat up straight and addressed the viewscreen.

"Greeting, humans. I am Dark Specter, Monarch of Evil. As your own medias will soon confirm, I have just destroyed Washington, D.C. the capital of the most powerful nation on this pathetic planet. Each nation's government has twenty-four of your hours to proclaim your complete surrender to me. Just announce it to your citizens, and I will be able to hear it. Resist, and you will be destroyed. Surrender, and you will be allowed to live...as my slaves. The choice is yours, but I urge you to think carefully." Dark Specter ended the communication.

"Bravo," Vile said. "I couldn't have said it better myself."

"No, you couldn't have. Are our shields at full strength?

"Yes."

"Good. I don't really expect the humans to give up, and I want to be prepared." He grinned. "This should be fun."

(SCENE CHANGE)

After much persuading, Rito had convinced the Gem Warriors to teleport with him one last time. His final destination was a cave in the Alps. The rock around it was impregnated with selonite, which shielded them from Serpenterra's sensors. It was cold and clammy, but it was safe. Once there, the humans had demanded an full explanation from Rito, and he obliged them.

"The original Gem Warriors took on my father 3,000 years ago. They lost, and were destroyed. However, their powers were...unique. They didn't draw from the Morphing Grid. Each gem was a self-contained power source. My father was fascinated by this, but when he realized that the jewels couldn't be used for evil, he lost interest. The jewels were packed away and forgotten about, until now."

He gestured to Kat. "The Diamond Warrior was the leader, with the power of telepathy and a sword for a weapon. For the Pearl Warrior, the ability to create a reflective shield, and nunchucks. For Ruby, fire and katanas. For Emerald, control over plant life and a boomerang. And for Sapphire, water and a staff."

Adam raised his hand. "Will people be able to recognize us?"

"Yeah. These aren't Ranger powers. Anybody who knows you will recognize you, so there won't be any secret identity stuff this time."

"That's fine by me," Kat said. There was a hardness in her voice that had never been there before. One might almost have said it was as hard as a diamond. "The bad guys have taken things to a new level, with new rules. We're going to make them regret it."

NEXT TIME:

"Father and Son". Rito and Master Vile reflect on the events of "Vengeance", and the backstory of the Gems is revealed…


	6. Father and Son

_Disclaimer: All characters belong to Saban._

_Author's Notes: This is the sixth chapter in the Aftermath series._

Father and Son

by Historian

Rito was alone. He had wandered away from the Gem Warriors, following the cave farther and farther back until it dwindled into nothing. The humans needed their privacy, and he respected that. They were trying to deal not only with the loss of their friends and former teammates, but with the destruction of the United States' capital and the loss of a million lives as well. They were currently alternating between consoling each other and arguing about what they should do next. The simple fact was that they had no Zords, and their powers, while quite impressive on an individual level, would be nothing but insect bites to a behemoth like Serpenterra.

Truth be told, though, Rito wanted to be alone as well. He had a lot to think about. The die was cast; he was now firmly on the heroes' side. He could just imagine what the reaction of the other villains would be. Actually, he was trying not to imagine them. But he knew what the first and foremost reaction would be: ridicule. "Rito is even dumber that we thought" would about sum it up. It had always been that way, ever since his "accident". No one on either side of the battle line took him seriously. Not Zedd, not his own sister Rita, not the Rangers.

Not even his own father.

Rito had come to realize that the desire to please his father had been what had kept him trying to be evil. But nothing he did was ever good enough. Even when he destroyed the Thunderzords, he father had sent a message criticizing him for not also destroying the Rangers. When Master Vile had come himself to deal with the Rangers, he had basically ignored Rito.

The final straw had come when Rito had opened the box containing the Gems. They had spoken to him in his mind. Their voices had been warm and caring, things his father had never been. They had been the first in 3,000 years to treat him like a person. He should have hated the Gems for what their previous owners had done to him, but had found himself unable to. They had spoken to him gently, accessing his memories and choosing their avatars from the roster of former Rangers, except for Skull. Rito still remembered his shock at that choice.

A group of jewels had shown him more love than Vile ever did.

Rito sat on the floor and curled into a ball, wishing he still had the ability to cry.

(SCENE CHANGE)

Master Vile stormed into his quarters angrily, slamming the door shut behind him. The other villains had just finished a half-hour of giving him the third degree over Rito. No, he hadn't known what his son was planning. No, he didn't know why Rito had defected. And no, he had no idea of what to do now.

Vile sat down on his bunk, closing his eyes and trying to get his temper under control. Mental disciplines learned when mankind was still living in caves kicked in, draining his anger away and leaving only numbed shock behind. Not only had his son's betrayal surprised him, the fact that he was using the Gems had made all three jaws drop.

The memory of that awful day was burned into Vile's mind. The Gem Warriors, protectors of the planet Carn, had dared to invade his fortress and violate his inner sanctum. There, in the throne room, a terrible battle had been waged, pitting the Warriors fighting skills and varied powers against his sheer might. The battle had been a draw...until Rito had come running in.

Of course, Rito had been much different then. Vile's second child had been tall and darkly handsome, with a razor-sharp brain and a talent for lightning magic. He had come charging in through a side door, lightning crackling in his hands, determined to help save his father.

It had all happened so quickly. The Ruby and Sapphire warriors had fired a combined fire/water blast at Vile. He had thrown up a defensive spell which successfully deflected the blast...right into Rito. The boy's screams had haunted Master Vile's dreams for centuries. The fire and water had combined with Rito's lighting, literally boiling Rito's skin and hair away. He had fallen to the floor, writhing in agony.

Vile's powers fed off his sudden rage, and he unleashed a mighty blast that had disintegrated the Warriors where they stood, leaving only their respective Gems behind. Then he had picked up his smoking son and rushed him to the infirmary, informing the doctors there that if his son died, so did they. Incredibly, since his injuries were magical and not strictly physical, Rito survived as a walking skeleton. However, his mind had been severely damaged, leaving him stupid and scatter-brained. Horrified at the change in his son, and realizing how useless he now was, Vile had withdrawn from him as much as possible, trying to forget that he even existed.

Now Vile saw the extent of his foolishness. He had driven his son into the arms of the enemy, and Rito had already proven that everyone had underestimated him. He had wasted a resource, and the mistake would have to be corrected. He would do his very best to bring Rito back, even though he knew the other villains wanted the traitor destroyed.

Of course, if he couldn't bring Rito back, Vile would destroy him himself.

Never let it be said that Master Vile did not clean up after himself.

To Be Continued…

NEXT TIME: "Best Laid Plans". Under their new leader, a battle-hardened Katherine, the Gem Warriors break one of Zordon's cardinal rules and launch a pre-emptive strike against the villains. But things don't go according to plan…for either side!


End file.
